


Our beginnings

by Liah



Category: Shaman King (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Headcanon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-04
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-04 09:59:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17302526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liah/pseuds/Liah
Summary: There are not many things which Yoh takes seriously. But when it comes to him and Amidamaru, trust and friendship between two of them...Well, Yoh is more than willing to work.(basically: story about building trust and friendship between Yoh and Amidamaru)





	Our beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, first of all, this work is not accurate to canon. I rediscovered this show after years, rewatching it again and there are many things I do not remember. I just know I love dynamics between Amidamaru and Yoh and this fandom is tinny and I wanted to write about how they learnt to trust to each other. 
> 
> I mix timeline. Yoh at this point has a title of Shaman king. This fics also ignore that Amidamaru stayed to fight beside Yoh´s son.  
> Enjoy!

To become a legend takes a lot of time. And to change a world takes even longer.

Asakura Yoh was one of few who accomplished both of these things.  
Funnily enough, when you were talking with Asakura-sama it was easy to forget how great this man was. With easy (his wife would say lazy) attitude and unique way how he saw world and people, this man looked more like your neighbor, not like a legend. He even hated when someone called him _sama or sensei_ – both he and his spirit. 

And then you look in serene but still amiable face of his guarding spirit and you suddenly remember. Then you see his comrades staying tall and proud on their watch, helping their shaman king, trusting him to change their world in his own ways. They trusted his power and his judgement without questions and you cannot really grasp your head around it – what Asakura-sama did to gain such trust from his powerful allies? But when you see it, it is truly hard to forget name of shaman king again. 

“My greatest power, you asked?” he repeats your question. His power when he started was average and power of Amidamaru-sama as well. There were many who started with greater potential, with spirits more powerful and still…  
“Power of friendship. That´s my greatest power,” he says and grins and Amidamaru-sama does the same.  
“You… meant it?” you ask. Because… surely it could not be just ... _it?_  
*** *** ***  
To know and to understand are two very different things. It took time for Yo to grasp his head around that difference and it was very first lecture he received from his alliance with Amidamaru. 

Relationships between shamans and their spirits were much more different than ones between common people, he was well aware of that. That was a reason why Yoh was not really worried or concerned about his rather cold, formal connection to Amidamaru. But still…

After Amidamaru promised he would stay in this world to be his spirit, they still acted practically like strangers. Overly polite, formal and little unsure about everything except fighting. Yoh was also well aware that Amidamaru stayed because his sense of duty and honor, not because he was somehow fond of him. He tried not to take that one personally, respect said fact and not bother Amidamaru with his over friendliness.  
And still…

After spirits – including Amidamaru – were stolen and then given back, he needed to change his perspective a little. Because Amidamaru´s arms (it felt like cold mist at his skin) around his shoulders and his playful whining while he was talking with Anna – just few seconds and his own relief of having samurai back – made him realize something. 

Yoh knew practically every historically known fact and legend about Amidamaru, out of necessity. But he did not _understand him at all._  
He thought that starting connection with his spirit because of duty and honor was less than starting it because of friendship. How long took him to realize than Amidamaru was samurai – his sense of duty was everything for him, it was what his life taught him. He was probably unable to start emotional connection any other way. Friendship and duty were deeply connected in the mind of samurai –his friendship with Mosuke was a proof. Only friend driven by more than just friendship has enough drive to wait for someone, to hold his promise even after death for centuries.

So, Yoh and Amidamaru started their path because of honor and duty and nothing more between them. And with ghost of samurai better way how to start does not existed.  
Yoh put his palm above Amidamaru´s arm, just inches from immaterial skin of his ghost, so although he could not touch him, gesture and intention were obvious enough. He grinned.

“I am so glad that I´ve got you back, Amidamaru!”  
*** *** ***  
It seemed that fascination with stars was a common threat for all shamans.  
And also for Amidamaru, as far as Yoh could tell. 

When he asked him about that, Amidamaru answered only with a shrug, proclaiming that he was just used to it – waiting many years for his friend and fulfilment of old promise, he just needed to do something and stargazing or spacing out in general was the easiest way. 

It was rather lonely existence, even for Yoh´s standards.

Amidamaru´s old habit – sitting without a movement and stargazing continued even after their alliance – old habits die hard – so Yoh started to accompany him. Sometimes they just gazed on stars in silence but more often than not they were talking about everything and nothing at all. 

For all his grace and dignity, Amidamaru was not a good speaker – probably unused to talk longer with someone after all that time - but with Yoh´s rambling and nature they managed.  
Yoh promised himself to make sure that Amidamaru would always have someone to talk to as long as he stays in this world with him.  
(and their night conversations continued for years and years to come)  
*** *** ***  
It was hot summer afternoon. 

Well, it was more like evening in Yoh´s opinion, with sky full of red and orange shades, but it was still as hot as middle of day, so, who cares? He and Amidamaru were sitting near the river. Somewhere, somehow, Yoh heard a distinct laugh. He was not even sure if he heard it from their realm or it was laughter of some ghost and he did not particularly care because grass was soft and clouds were in particularly interesting shapes that day. Then inspiration hit him. 

“Amidamaru, unity with me,” he asked calmly. The ghost blinked in surprise, tense, in expectation of fight with some enemy he did not register yet.  
When they were a one, Yoh stripped his clothes and just in the underwear he jumped into the river.

_“Yoh-dono, what are we doing?”  
“Chill, Amidamaru. When was a last time when you swam?”_

Yoh had his guess – Amidamaru grew up in age when swimming and playing in forest were things which kids did for fun the most, especially poor ones.  
Ghost could not feel sun on their skin or wind in their hair. The lack of feeling, sensations, was one of reasons why ghost were willing to come to shamans.  
To feel through their bodies during unity again. Even only during fights, sensations which were provided to ghosts through human bodies of shamans were the closest for ghosts to live again.  
He felt cold water on his skin and mud under his fingers. And as he felt a good heart of Amidamaru the very first time they united, he felt warm happiness in the heart of his ghost. 

Yoh did not mind to give control over his body to Amidamaru from time to time even there was no fight to win or people to save.  
_“You… say that we are friends. Over and over again. Although they laugh at you because they see ghosts only as tools. But you… mean it.”_  
“Of course I do, Amidamaru.”  
*** *** ***  
When there is someone else around them, Amidamaru calls him Yoh-dono. The leader. As any samurai would call someone above him.  
But then they are alone and night is long enough, he just call him _the little one._  
Yoh never tell that anyone, keeping Amidamaru´s pride and warmth in his chest with every _little one_ safe.  
*** *** ***  
He was not even sure how it happened.

“I never considered you to be… flashy, the little one,” Amidamaru said, looking at him hesitantly. Yoh firstly chuckled – his samurai sitting next to him looked at him like he had a two heads – then groaned at memory which Amidamaru was referring to.

“Because I am not,” he retorted, seeing Anna´s otherwise stoic face blooming in surprise in his mind.  
He finally did it. He proposed to Anna properly. 

“You two were promised to each other by your parents so… why had you proposed to her?” Amidamaru asked, evidently confused.

After years, when he felt he was at very peak of his powers as a shaman king, Yoh knelt down and put his sword to Anna´s feet, unusually serious. In front of his friends, he bowed his head and asked, “will you marry me?” _You stayed by my side all the way. You helped me to become who I am and all I am is yours. Now, when there is nothing more I can gain to give, will you accept?_

When his father was talking about this feeling – this short of acceptance, willingness, even submissiveness which he would feel when the right moment comes – he never understood. He was even afraid and ashamed, unable to comprehend what that all means. But his father was right, as always. Yoh just felt like he was swimming with flow, not against it. He accepted the course of things. He embraced his quiet admiration for this woman and that she was part of him as much as Amidamaru was. He was not sure how their parents knew – if they somehow saw their souls before they were born, how they would function as partners – but it worked. They just clicked. And with the fact that both of them were raised up with complete and absolute trust towards each other…  
Their love was not flashy and hot. But it was stable, quiet thing ready to survive many and many years in their hearts.

“She… always wanted to be wife of shaman king. And she always liked big gestures. She… deserved what she wanted,” he answered. Everything was like it was supposed to be.  
Samurai smiled, looking at him, searching something – probably uncertainty – in his eyes. When he found none, he looked back at the sky and praised, “you matured. You are fortunate to marry person you cherish.”

“If we could not stand each other, our parents would not push us. Probably.” The chance not to like or at least respect each other enough to marry was one of million, but it happens time to time even in shamans´ families. And yes… he probably grew up mentally a bit. He was twenty-five after all.  
“You are fortunate,” Amidamaru repeated softly, “in my age, parents or emperor choosing wives for his best samurais did not care about compatibility of their children as partners in marriage.”  
Yoh sit properly, blinking, his attention sharp with sudden thought, “oh. Were you married, Amidamaru?”  
“No,” the ghost shook his head, “emperor wanted to choose a bride for me but month before I was killed by his men,” he said slowly – for ghosts, they own memories are shady sometimes, hard to remember. That´s what Amidamaru said to him before.  
“But…” he started, suddenly unsure, even ashamed.  
“But?” Yoh repeated encouragingly.  
“I had a lover. Few nights before I died me… and Mosuke…”  
_“Oh.”_ Yoh tried rather hard not to blush. Was his guarding spirit _coming out to him?_

Somehow, it handed like some type of question between two.

“At least… you found love before death,” Yoh stated at the end. He sensed Amidamaru relaxing beside him.  
“For long time… I did not remember. It was all swallowed in my mind by memories of my last fight, of how they mistreated us and… and-“ 

The rest Amidamaru did not need to tell aloud – the deal with killing a man just because an emperor wanted his sword to stay the most unique and strongest one was in fact only guise – emperor probably wanted to see his best samurai to kill his lover because both of them were men.  
Uh.  
Yoh never really thought about sexuality – he was always destined to Anna so why to bother – but this made him… angry. And sad. 

“I am curious if he remembered us too…” Amidamaru murmured, melancholy and subtle longing in his voice.  
“Do you want to go after him? To afterlife, I mean?” Yoh asked. For him it would be disastrous to lost his guardian ghost right now but he cannot held Amidamaru here against his will-  
“I promised to be your guardian ghost. I keep my promises, my little one.”

Yoh bitted his tongue because this was not a question of loyalty. But he learnt his lecture about Amidamaru´s way of thinking.  
His samurai looked into his eyes, “but after everything is said and done… after you would pass to ghost´s realm… I will go after Mosuke.”

And Yoh probably should protest somehow – it was tradition for such powerful spirits to stay in family for generations, especially if there was strong relationship between shaman and ghost. He was practically treating future of his children by this. And although time – especially one human lifespan – means practically nothing to a ghost, Yoh was grateful.

He wanted Amidamaru to be with Mosuke as soon as possible because he genuinely wanted him to be happy. What else would you want to someone who was like family to you?  
Staying with Yoh until the very end of his days was a compromise for both Yoh and Amidamaru. Yoh was satisfied – his future son or daughter could find their own spirits as he did long time ago. Waiting six hundred years was really more than enough. 

“Let´s do that.”  
*** *** *** 

"Yeah, kid, I mean it. Friendship is what got me to this point."

When Amidamaru and Yoh-sama shared a quick goofy grin again, you suddenly know that there are million stories which you would never hear from them but...

You believe that answer.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, practically bunch of headcanons, right?


End file.
